The present invention relates to a frame for installation of a material. Specifically, the present invention relates to an installation frame for grid soil confinement systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,724,843 discloses a concrete reinforcement support which may be hollow or solid and includes a plurality of reinforcement supporting legs which are clamped into position by a bolt to the concrete reinforcement. Additionally, the entire concrete reinforcement support may be moved to a new location.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,329,670 discloses a process for making pavements and the like which includes stretching members adapted to the fixed outside the area to which the flooring or surface is to be applied and also includes mechanisms for drawing the strips taut and retaining them in a fixed position.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,725,239 discloses a concrete reinforcement support for supporting fabric sheets in concrete roads, and the like. The concrete reinforcement support suspends the fabric sheet from side forms when the concrete is poured. The concrete reinforcement support can be removed from the fabric sheet before the concrete has completely set. The concrete reinforcement support is usually tubular. A series of bolt-like members extends through holes in the concrete reinforcement support having a hook portion at the lower end of each member which engages the fabric sheet. A major difference between U.S. Pat. No. 1,725,239 and the present invention is that U.S. Pat. No. 1,725,239 has spring-like handles secured to one or both ends of the concrete reinforcement support while the present invention has a control means at every grid section holding member. More specifically, the present invention has a control means for each grid section holding means which is independently operable wherein each grid section holding means can be controlled independently of any other grid section holding means. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control means is a "T" handle which is externally mounted on the holding member, and the holding means is a "J" hook which is externally mounted on a plurality of the holding members. U.S. Pat. No. 1,725,239 discloses a single concrete reinforcement support and does not disclose, teach or suggest connecting the supports to form a support frame as is disclosed in the present invention. The concrete reinforcement support of U.S. Pat. No. 1,725,239 is supported on concrete side forms for roadways or the like by resting each end of the concrete reinforcement support across the top of two concrete side forms which are not integrally or externally connected to any other concrete reinforcement support. The spring-like handles engage the side forms and hold the concrete reinforcement support and bolt-like members into position, thus holding the fabric sheet in position. The bolt-like members are adjustable in a vertical direction. Additionally, each bolt-like member of the concrete reinforcement support of U.S. Pat. No. 1,725,239 rotates with the concrete reinforcement support about an axis parallel to the plane of the fabric sheet while the present invention has a grid section holding means which rotates about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the grid section of cells.
U.S. Pat. No. 512,579 discloses a method of laying tiles.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,721,369 discloses a method of concrete floor construction.
The grid confinement concept is described in the following articles: Burns, Cecil D., Technical Report GL-79-2, Traffic Tests of Expedient Air Field Construction Concepts for Possible Application in The National Petroleum Reserve--Alaska (NPRA), Geotechnical Laboratory, U.S. Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Miss. (March 1979); Mitchell, James K., Kao, T-C., Kavazanjian, Jr., Edward, Technical Report GL-79-8, Analysis of Grid Cell Reinforced Pavement Bases, Department of Civil Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, Calif. and Geotechnical Laboratory, U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Miss. (July 1979); Webster--Steve L., Technical Report GL-79-20, Investigation of Beach Sand Trafficability Enhancement Using Sand-Grid Confinement Sand Test Sections and Membrane Reinforcement Concepts, Report 1, Sand Test Sections 1 and 2, Geotechnical Laboratory, U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Miss. (November 1979); Webster Steve L., Technical Report GL-79-20, Investigation of Beach Sand Trafficability using Sand-Grid Confinement and Membrane Reinforcement Concepts, Report 2, Sand Test Sections 3 & 4, Geotechnical Laboratory, U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Miss. (February 1981); Webster, Steve L. and Watkins, James E., Technical Report S-77-1, Investigation of Construction Techniques for Tactical Bridge Approach Roads Across Soft Ground, Soils and Pavement Laboratory, U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Miss. (February 1977); and Webster, Steve L. and Alford, Samuel J., Technical Report S-78-6, Investigation of Construction Concepts for Pavement Across Soft Ground, Geotechnical Laboratory, U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Miss. (July 1978).
The need for an effective soil strength improvement system, capable of taking the heaviest loads and stabilizing the poorest soils, has existed for many years. A three-dimensional grid confinement concept was developed at the Geotechnical Laboratory, U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Miss. and supplemented by Research at the Department of Civil Engineering, University of California, Berkeley. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers investigated methods of expedient paving for roads, airfields, bridge approaches, including traffic surfaces built on beaches and dune sands. Pavements for such roads, airfields, bridge approaches, protective bunkers or walls and traffic surfaces on beaches and dune sands surfaces are usually placed over poor quality subgrades when good quality crushed stone is unavailable. Significant work has been done to utilize the fine granular materials which are usually found in abundance in these areas, for example, fine granular materials which are usually found in abundance in these areas, such as fine river bank sand, uniformed sized beach and dune sands and the like. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported that the principal of confinement offered the most promising solution to the unavailability of good quality crushed stone.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers evaluated the efficiency of square aluminum grid sections to determine the effects of cell size, cell depth and cell wall thickness. The aluminum grids were shown to be highly efficient but not cost effective for use as pavement bases. Alternate grid materials were also investigated. Paper grids with hexagon-shaped cells were tested, but the wet performance of this material was poor. Resin and pregnated paper cells were tested and also proved to be inferior when wet or when subjected to direct traffic.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also tested a grid section of cells known as Geoweb, a trade-mark of Presto Products, Incorporated, P.O. Box 2399, Appleton, Wis. 54913 which is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers demonstrated that Geoweb is suitable to confine sand, rounded rock, poorly graded aggregates and the like. The Geoweb grid confinement system utilizes cells which are sinuous or undulent, and the grid section is honeycomb-like in appearance. Geoweb is fcrmed from a plastic resin. Grid sections of Geoweb can be installed by inexperienced labor to produce a good surface for traffic over an area otherwise unable to support traffic.
Current methods of installation require stretching a grid section of cells over a wood frame having rods disposed along two short sides of the frame, rotating the frame into position, anchoring the grid section with in-fill material or stakes and removing the frame. Alternatively, a grid section of cells may be installed without the use of a wood frame wherein eight laborers are required for proper installation.
The present invention is a frame for installing a grid section of cells of a grid confinement system for soil. The frame is generally planar having a plurality of support members forming sides and providing support therefor whereby each support member is connected to two or more support members. A plurality of grid section holding members are disposed along two sides of the frame to engage the grid section of cells. Each grid section holding member has a grid section holding means for engaging the grid section of cells and a control means for activating the grid section holding means. The control means for each grid section holding means is independently operable or independently actuated wherein each grid section holding means can be controlled independently of any other grid section holding means. The present invention is useful in installing grid sections on soil such as sand, clay, silk, rock, organic matter and combinations thereof. The cells of the grid sections are formed from paper, alloy, metal, or a plastic resin. Both thermoformed and thermoset plastic resins may be used. The grid section may be a honeycomb of cells, undulent cells, sinuous cells, or any geometric pattern of cells. The present invention requires fewer laborers to install, no string line is needed and uniformity is achieved. Each grid section may be easily positioned or repositioned. The frame provides easy road center line reference, easy edge cell interlock and easy underwater installation.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a frame for installing a grid section of cells of a grid confinement system for soil.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a generally planar frame having a plurality of support members forming sides of the frame whereby each support member is connected to two or more support members.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a generally planar frame having a plurality of grid section holding members disposed along two sides of the generally planar frame to engage the grid section of cells.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide grid section holding means for each grid section holding member for engaging each grid section of cells.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a control means on each holding member for activating each grid section holding means.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a control means for each grid section holding means which is independently operable.
These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the description of the preferred embodiments which follows. Such objects are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.